New loanee Toumani Diagouraga is handed his Town debut as Mick McCarthy makes five changes to his team for today’s game at Preston North End.
Bartosz Bialkowski returns in goal with Dean Gerken back on the bench, while Josh Emmanuel is at right-back in a four-man backline with Jordan Spence and Paul Digby dropping to the bench.
Andre Dozzell is left out of the 18, while Grant Ward starts on the right of midfield with Diagouraga in the middle alongside Cole Skuse with Tom Lawrence on the left. Brett Pitman returns to the side alongside Freddie Sears up front.
David McGoldrick and Teddy Bishop are both among the subs having got over hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.
New signing Danny Rowe is at the game but isn’t involved, while Steven Taylor’s international clearance is yet to come through.
Town target Jordan Hugill starts for the home side having overcome a knee injury, while winger Daryl Horgan, who Blues boss McCarthy watched playing for Dundalk prior to his move to Deepdale, is among the subs.
Preston: Maxwell, Vermijl, Clarke (c), Huntington, Spurr, Gallagher, Pearson, Johnson, McGeady, Robinson, Hugill. Subs: Lindegaard, Boyle, Browne, Horgan, May, Makienok, Beckford.
Town: Bialkowski, Knudsen, Chambers (c), Berra, Skuse, Diagouraga, Ward, Lawrence, Emmanuel, Pitman, Sears. Subs: Gerken, Bishop, McGoldrick, Spence, DIgby, Bru, Moore. Referee: Steven Martin (Staffordshire).